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Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth

Date Submitted: Sep 21, 2021
Date Accepted: Dec 9, 2021

The final, peer-reviewed published version of this preprint can be found here:

Daily Level Association of Physical Activity and Performance on Ecological Momentary Cognitive Tests in Free-living Environments: A Mobile Health Observational Study

Zlatar ZZ, Campbell LM, Tang B, Gabin S, Heaton A, Higgins M, Swendsen J, Moore DJ, Moore R

Daily Level Association of Physical Activity and Performance on Ecological Momentary Cognitive Tests in Free-living Environments: A Mobile Health Observational Study

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2022;10(1):e33747

DOI: 10.2196/33747

PMID: 35099402

PMCID: 8845015

Daily Level Association of Physical Activity and Performance on Ecological Momentary Cognitive Tests in Free-Living Environments: a Mobile Health Observational Study

  • Zvinka Zoe Zlatar; 
  • Laura M Campbell; 
  • Bin Tang; 
  • Spenser Gabin; 
  • Anne Heaton; 
  • Michael Higgins; 
  • Joel Swendsen; 
  • David J Moore; 
  • Raeanne Moore

ABSTRACT

Background:

Research suggests that physical activity has both acute and chronic beneficial effects on cognitive function in lab settings and under supervised conditions. Mobile health technologies make it possible to reliably measure physical activity and cognition in free-living environments, thus increasing generalizability and reach. Research is needed to determine if the benefits of physical activity on cognitive function extend from the laboratory to real world contexts.

Objective:

This observational study examined if daily changes in physical activity are associated with daily fluctuations in cognitive performance in free-living environments.

Methods:

Ninety adults (mean age 59, 72% male) with various comorbidities (e.g., cardiovascular risk, HIV) and various levels of baseline cognition (ranging from cognitively normal to impaired) completed twice daily ecological momentary cognitive testing (EMCTs) on a smartphone, while wearing an accelerometer to capture physical activity levels for 14 days. Linear mixed effects models examined daily associations of physical activity with EMCT performance on tests of executive function and verbal learning. Moderation analyses investigated if the relationship of daily physical activity with daily EMCT performance changed as a function of baseline cognition, cardiovascular risk, and functional status (independent versus dependent).

Results:

Days with greater physical activity were associated with better (faster) performance on an executive function EMCT task after covariate adjustment (estimate = -.013, β = -0.16, P = .039). Moderation analyses (estimate = .048, β = 0.58, P = .001) indicated that days with greater physical activity were associated with better (faster) executive function performance in individuals who were functionally dependent (effect size = -.53, P <.001) and not in functionally independent adults (effect size = -.01, P = .91).

Conclusions:

EMCTs may be a sensitive tool to capture daily-level physical activity-related fluctuations in cognitive performance in real world contexts and can be a promising candidate for tracking cognitive performance in digital interventions aimed to increase physical activity. Further research is needed to determine individual characteristics that may moderate the association of daily physical activity and EMCT performance in free-living environments.


 Citation

Please cite as:

Zlatar ZZ, Campbell LM, Tang B, Gabin S, Heaton A, Higgins M, Swendsen J, Moore DJ, Moore R

Daily Level Association of Physical Activity and Performance on Ecological Momentary Cognitive Tests in Free-living Environments: A Mobile Health Observational Study

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2022;10(1):e33747

DOI: 10.2196/33747

PMID: 35099402

PMCID: 8845015

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